General consensus is that Kerry did well in the debate, and I'd agree.

But I think he still came across as extremely weak on Iraq, basically because his plan amounts to this:

We're bearing most of the cost in Iraq, in terms of troops and money ("90% of the casualties and 90% of the cost", which he repeated several times). Other countries don't want to give money or troops because they don't like George Bush. If I'm elected, other countries will donate lots of troops and cash and relieve us of the burden.

Now who the hell is buying that? Even hardcore supporters?

The countries that don't support the war are doing so because it's unpopular in their countries. Kerry's election isn't gonna make France want to give more money. And we have something like 140,000 troops on the ground. Who the hell is gonna send a significant number of troops to relieve ours? Especially when the talk is that we need more troops there. And especially if the perception is that things are getting more dangerous.

Kerry consistently makes it sound like his mere presence in office will be enough to lure the rest of the world to send in enough troops to relieve ours and to cover the costs...and that just ain't gonna happen.

There is something risible in Kerry's faith in these hopeless transactions brokered by Kofi Annan and in the United Nations itself, which is staging yet another tragic, do-nothing performance on Darfur. He surely knows there is no cavalry of Europeans and Arabs about to ride to Iraq's rescue (especially since he intends to withdraw American troops, hardly a move that will give other nations confidence). He surely knows there are no foreign funders willing to bear the financial burden, either. But, if he admits that, then much of his critique of Bush's Iraq policy collapses, and with it his confidence in the honorable community of nations--the kind of phrase of which liberals are fond. Except that the nations to which it refers are neither honorable nor a community nor, in many cases, even nations. Kerry may want to rely on their goodwill, but I don't.